Sushma Verma: ‘A lot will depend on Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh’ as India eye WT20I World Cup glory

India’s squad for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup reflects both stability and concern. While the batting unit carries experience, firepower and proven match-winners, injuries to Kashvee Gautam and Amanjot Kaur have forced changes that leave India slightly short on balance heading into the tournament.

The absence of a genuine pace-bowling all-rounder has become one of the biggest talking points around the squad. With Nandini Sharma and Radha Yadav included, India still possess variety in their attack, but the combination options are not quite the same anymore.

Despite that, former India wicketkeeper Sushma Verma believes India remain firmly among the contenders for the title, though she was careful not to place any team too far ahead in a format as volatile as T20 cricket.

“One of the favourites definitely but T20 format can be funny in certain ways,” Sushma told this correspondent in an exclusive interaction. “One cannot claim that a particular side will dominate, be it India or Australia.”

India enter the World Cup as the reigning ODI world champions, a tag that naturally increases expectations. Over the last few years, they have built a core group with experience across formats and conditions. Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma remain central figures in the side, while younger players have steadily added aggression and depth.

For Sushma, however, the biggest positive ahead of the tournament could be India’s preparation time in English conditions. India will travel to the United Kingdom later this month for a three-match T20I series against England before beginning their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 15.

“Good thing is all the top sides have been playing well and that means the tournament is going to be interesting,” she said. “India has a series against England and will get time to adjust to the conditions before the World Cup so that’s a good thing.”

England conditions have often demanded adaptability from visiting teams, particularly in T20 cricket where momentum swings quickly. The extra preparation time could therefore prove crucial, especially for India’s bowlers, who will need to adjust to longer boundaries, weather conditions and different surfaces.

India’s recent T20I series defeat in South Africa also exposed a recurring pattern within the batting unit. The side appeared dominant when the openers settled, but struggled once early wickets fell. Much of that stability came through Shafali Verma’s aggressive starts at the top.

Sushma believes Shafali’s impact could once again define India’s fortunes in the World Cup.

“A lot will depend on how Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh perform,” she said. “Harmanpreet always puts her hand up in important matches, there’s Smriti and Deepti as well. But I do think a lot will depend on Shafali and Richa.”

The statement underlines the growing importance of India’s next generation. Shafali’s fearless approach can dismantle attacks within a few overs, while Richa’s finishing ability has increasingly become one of India’s biggest weapons in white-ball cricket.

At the same time, India will continue to rely on the experience of Harmanpreet in knockout-pressure scenarios. Her ability to absorb pressure and shift momentum remains invaluable in ICC tournaments, while Smriti and Deepti provide balance and calmness through different phases of the innings.

The larger challenge for India may ultimately come down to execution under pressure. On paper, they possess enough batting depth to compete with any side in the tournament. But in T20 cricket, where one spell or one over can change everything, consistency becomes difficult to guarantee.

That uncertainty, according to Sushma, is exactly what makes this World Cup so open.

India may carry the confidence of recent success and the expectation of a cricket-loving nation, but the margins in T20 cricket remain razor-thin. If their key batters fire and the bowling attack adapts quickly despite the injury setbacks, India will believe they have every chance of lifting another global trophy.

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